A riotous college party, a storybook American house, stars and stripes, and a funeral in the rain reminiscent of classic Hollywood movies. The images in Croatian artist and photographer Filip Koludrovic’s new monograph, I Have Never Been To America, create a compelling documentation of American culture – but here’s the twist, they’ve all been generated by AI. “We’re constantly watching this country that is ruling the world through media,” says Koludrovic, “we’ve all seen it in moves, music videos and on the news so I thought it would be fun to travel there with AI.”

Beginning in the 19th century as the first wave of immigrants arrived on Ellis Island, Koludrovic’s story follows an individual as they experience life in the States. Moving through youth, college, adulthood and eventually death, Koludrovic’s narrative meditates on the reality behind the American Dream.

As much an exploration of the United States as it is the advancement of AI, the method opened up the photographer’s eyes to a new facet of creativity; “AI destroyed everything I believe in and thought I knew. It is limitless, you can create whole worlds in seconds.” While a certain air of scepticism surrounds the technique, Koludrovic believes it isn’t going anywhere as its arrival opens up a new, inclusive opportunity to create, “We can decide to ignore it but there is no way of stopping it, it flattens the curve for people to get involved in photography or art. Every time a human has composed a song or painted a picture they’re referencing something else they’ve seen or heard, it’s the same process with AI it’s just shocking to people because it’s a computer.”

I Have Never Been To America is out now, more info here.